Big Mack

Here are the latest pics of the little one - taken yesterday. She is getting a little upset with the paparazzi trying to catch her in compromising photos, so these may be the only ones until the big day.

So there is a small pool started with the arrival date and the weight. My pick has always been June 5, and I think she will weigh in at a beefy 6 lbs 11 ozs.

Recent Travels

Well amidst Baby Watch 2008, there have been a few other adventures....


A week after spending the night in the hospital with #13 and some contractions, I flew down to Vegas with my dad. He had a deposition; I had a hearing. The hearing was fine, but let's just say the trip was . . . . a nightmare. Enough said about that.


Two days later, still nervous that the little tyke would poke her head out any day, my dad and I boarded a plane to go to Pasadena for a 9th Circuit BAP argument. Usually LA is terrible and going there for anything is a pain. But, on the good advice of my brother, we flew into Burbank, and 20 minutes after getting our rental car, we were in Pasadena.


If you haven't seen the Ninth Circuit Courthouse in Pasadena, it is quite amazing, at least as far as courthouses go.

And making the trip even better was the fact that the next morning at breakfast, we ran into our opposing counsel who informed us that - while my brother, dad and I were enjoying a nice dinner outside - she had a two hour shuttle ride from LAX the night before.

Well the hearing went great, and all that is left is to wait for the decision.

Anyways, a few days later, some of #13's great friends from Chicago flew in for a weekend up at Tahoe. And then this last weekend we have some good friends from Sacramento come up to spend the weekend in Tahoe as well.

Random Fact - Fishing Spiders

I don't know why, but the little fact at the end of this blurb (from Wikipedia) caught my eye. I just think that the strange ways species protect themselves is pretty interesting.

Dolomedes is a genus of spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders or dock spiders. Almost all Dolomedes species are semi-aquatic, with the exception of the tree-dwelling D. albineus in the southwestern United States and the grassland spider D. minor in New Zealand.

Like all pisaurids, female Dolomedes carry their egg sacs in their chelicerae, and use silk to build a nursery web. These nursery webs are built shortly before the spiderlings emerge from the eggsac. The female places the eggsac in the nursery web and the spiderlings emerge within twenty four hours. The spiderlings of most North American Dolomedes species remain in the web for one week, and then disperse en masse.

D. triton, the six-spotted fishing spider, lives primarily in small lakes and ponds. This spider consumes mostly water striders, but like all Dolomedes, is an opportunistic ambush hunter that will eat anything that it can capture.

What is particularly cool about this spider is that it can detach its legs to escape preditors. As you can see in the picture below, this fishing spider is missing two of its legs. A predator likely grabbed the spider by the limbs, which the spider jettisoned in response - a process known as autotomy.

Pretty cool. I can't wait to share this random info with my daughter.

M.I.A.

So I have been missing lately. Things have been getting pretty crazy at home with the baby coming. It is amazing how many things need to be done before she gets here - build dressers, bookshelves, cribs; buy clothing, supplies, strollers, diaper genies; clean the baby's room, paint; etc. On top of all of that, we thought our little one was going to be making a suprise appearance and spent the night in the hospital on Monday night while the doctor's tried to stop #13's contractions. I guess delivering the baby at 34 weeks is a bit early, so hopefully the baby can stay indoors for a few more weeks.
Things have also been crazy at work as I prepare for a number of hearings and depositions this month.
Oh, by the by, hospitals are the WORST place to try and get some sleep. There is always something going on that keeps you up: alarms, nurses coming in and out checking on #13, people in the hallways, etc.

White men can't jump????

Well maybe they can jump, but as you can see by this video, there is a BIG difference between jumping and DUNKING!
Arthur and Rush are just in a different league!

KANSAS JAYHAWKS - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!

For all of the years when Kansas was SOOOOO close, and even those years when KU should have been close, but was upset in the first few rounds.... This more than makes up for it.

What a year! What a tournament! What a final game!!!!

Oldie But Goodie

I was at lunch today with my brother and was telling him about this Craig's List posting that a trader friend from NYC had sent me a while back. It was hilarious.

Because I like nothing better than sharing, here it is for you to enjoy.

This is a personal add that was posted on Craig’s List in NYC a while back:

What am I doing wrong?
Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy. I'm not from New York . I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don't think I'm overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that's where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won't get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she's not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won't hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I'm 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I've seen really 'plain jane' boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I've seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What's the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I'm putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I'm being up front about it. I wouldn't be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn't able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.


And this is an answer that was posted:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I'm not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here's how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a cr@ppy business deal. Here's why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you're 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold...hence the rub...marriage. It doesn't make good business sense to "buy you" (which is what you're asking) so I'd rather lease. In case you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It's as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as "articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful" as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn't found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn't need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you're going about it the right way. Classic "pump and dump."

I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.